It’s no secret that SpaceX’s Elon Musk has an outsized influence on the second Trump administration, especially with regard to space policy.

Musk has expressed his desire to redirect NASA to a neck-or-nothing lunge toward Mars, leaving all other priorities, including a return to the moon, on the back burner. This desire seems to have had an effect on Trump, who mentioned Mars but left out the moon in his inaugural address.

Recently, Musk advocated deorbiting the International Space Station in 2027, three years early, in order to free up money for Mars. According to Ars Technica, his statement caused consternation and no little anger in Washington. Another space player has taken notice, for obvious reasons.

“The space station has key supporters in Congress, including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), in whose state the orbiting laboratory is managed. Cruz has long been an advocate of the space station,” the story says.

How did Cruz react to Musk’s suggestion? Cruz did not say anything on the record initially, but “a key source said Cruz was ‘furious’ with the........

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